Yes I agree that supernatural and natural can co-exist within the confines of God's creation.

BUT, they cannot exist within the confines of a single entity.

Of course they can. God's creation IS a single entity. And, as such, you can see that supernatural and natural, metaphysical and physical, can co-exist in a single entity. So just apply that to heaven.

Because the body is a temple. It is good. As Pope JPII said, "The body and it alone is capable of making visible what has been invisible, the mystery of the divine since time immemorial"--Theology of the Body.

Of course they can. God's creation IS a single entity. And, as such, you can see that supernatural and natural, metaphysical and physical, can co-exist in a single entity. So just apply that to heaven.

So if everything co-exists on earth AND it co-exists in heaven, then where is heaven?

What is the purpose of heaven?

Why would Jesus go there, rather than stay here? Natural and superatural co-existing in heaven maes it no difference to earth, so why would He go to heaven?

Lastly, in the NT, there is clear distinction between a "natural body" and a "glorified body" yet you are making no distinction in your posts. You say they "co-exist". Please explain?

I would like to know what is the significance of the physical resurrection of Jesus to our lives, as lovers of Jesus?

How would our lives as servants to God be different had Jesus not had a physical resurrection?

Thank you for your attention and God bless.

Kam,

Welcome and God bless you too!

The physical resurrection of Christ, following his PHYSICAL incarnation in the flesh is crucial.

In his Incarnation, Jesus initiated the Kingdom of God, here on earth in a real and physical way. The Jewish people had been waiting for a messiah who would deliver them from control by various empires over time. Many Jews expected one to be like Judas Maccabeus, who defeated the Seleucid empire militarily about 200 years earlier and brought in the Hasmonean Dynasty, the line of Jewish kings who ruled over an powerful and independent Jewish state. And prior to the Hasmoneans, the Jewish people looked back on the glory days of kings David and Solomon, under whom a unified Jewish state had been a major regional power. At the time of Jesus, the Romans had taken over control, interrupted the legitimate line of Hasmonean succession, and the Jews were in a familiar position -- waiting for God to save them from the abuse of an alien empire.

We can see the kind of messiah many Jews expected if we look at a man who many declared the messiah after Jesus: Simon ben Kosiba. Revolting against the Romans, he set up an independent kingdom about 100 years after Jesus died. They minted coins in his name as "Simon bar Kokhba" (son of a star). And he was crushed by the Romans.

The Kingdom of God that Christ initiated here on earth (in which we are now living) was different from what Jews had expected. Christ described it as one of love, not of conquest, in his many parables. And Christ's disciples continued the Kingdom, described in the Acts of the Apostles.

Christ initiated the general resurrection in which everyone experiencing salvation will share, and it is a bodily and physical resurrection. We will be resurrected in physical bodies like he was. Heaven isn't our final destination, the resurrected Earth is. To illustrate that Biblically, in the end of the Book of Revelation, a metaphorical description of the end of the world, people don't go up to heaven, the "New Jerusalem" comes down to earth.

When we are resurrected, like Christ, we will be as God intended us -- with our bodies and souls reunited.

__________________"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist."
-Fr. Hélder Pessoa Câmara, Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Brazil (1964-1985)

The early christian martyrs gave their lives in the coliseums because they believed in the physical resurrection of Jesus.

People with just imagination can imagine the soul or can imagine things spiritual.

Lazarus getting up out of the tomb after four days--well some people had to SEE that.

But Jesus getting up out of the tomb and being able to go through walls and being able to appear and mask His identity at will and yet could still eat physical fish!--well ALOT of people had to SEE that!

And alot of people did for the scriptures say at one point that Jesus appeared to 500!!!

All these things aren't stories they really HAPPENED!

And it is because of the FACT of the physical resurrection of Jesus in His GLORIFIED body that many christians gave their lives for the faith--that wasn't the only reason--miraculous cures--disciples speaking in tongues and everyone hearing them in their OWN language!

You can't FAKE all of that!

And look--in the bible you read about the disciples and followers of Jesus who believed in Him--the PHYSICAL GLORIFIED resurrection of Christ made people that didn't even like him testify for the TRUTH of all those things by sheer silence!

And Jesus was present in a sacramental REAL body, blood, soul, and divinity way in the Eucharist--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit made their abode INSIDE of men.

Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe".

The reason that people that haven't seen and believe is due to TWO factors--one--the Holy Spirit which reveals such truth to men--and the other reason is the reports of other men in history--such as the 500 who WITNESSED Jesus' resurrection in his glorified physical body.

REAL, GLORIFIED, TANGIBLE, PHYSICAL, SACRAMENTAL and SPIRITUAL.

Add them all up and what do you get--the greatest ending and beginning of the greatest
Story that was more than just a story!!!

-the truth that Christ died for us and rose for us and INFINITELY redeemed us against the BILLIONS of sins that would ever be committed by man through out all history--each one sin an INFINITE offense against the INFINITE God!

And He didn't HAVE to do ANY of it but only did it out of the most INFINITE PERFECT love that is so infinite that it can't be imagined!

No OTHER religion has the TRUE story like that!

Jesus was right--"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me!"